The scarcity of access to fresh water has been cited by National Geographic to directly affect 1.8 billion people around the world. In the past four years the number has hit home with Americans, especially with California experiencing the worst drought in recorded history. This year the California State government instituted a policy that requires communities to reduce water consumption by 25%. ( ) The State claims the best way to fulfill this 25% cut is for people to take shorter showers, turn off their faucets and even replace their lawns with Ocean-Friendly Gardens (http://www.surfrider.org/programs/entry/ocean-friendly-gardens). California hopes to save 400 billion gallons of water by enforcing these policies with heavy financial penalties.

Native Foods and our partner, the Surfrider Foundation (http://www.surfrider.org), believe we need to consider alternative approaches to this looming problem. Reducing the length of your shower and the amount you water your lawn will save an incremental amount of water, especially when you consider that your diet makes up 92% of your water footprint. Instead of cutting the 8% consumed by our daily routines, we present you with an opportunity to address the largest contributor to your personal water consumption – your diet!

When striving to reduce your water intake, look down at your plate. It takes approximately 1,800 gallons of water to create one pound of beef, which is equivalent to about 60 showers. Real Simple found that by removing beef from just one of your meals a week you can save 3,300 gallons of water. We estimate that by eating one veggie meal a week for one month you could save 14,000 gallons of water! Thus the Native Foods Veg Pledge (insert link)! With our friends at Surfrider Foundation, we are challenging America to save the world 100,000,000 gallons of water.

Take the Veg Pledge nativefoodsvegpledge.com, substitute one vegetarian or vegan meal a week for the month of August and earn Native Foods Café rewards! For completing the pledge all participants will receive $14 on your Native Foods rewards card –or $1 for every 1,000 gallons of water you save!